Despair Has Never Been so Amusing!
by PartyAtTrois
Summary: Look there, an amusement park! Observe all the lights shining brightly, hear the joyous music playing! There are rides to ride! There's loads of fun to have! ...Huh? What do you mean you want to go home? That's too bad! Stay here and enjoy our wonderful little amusement park of death! The fun you'll all have together is sure to be killer! (SYOC CLOSED - Thanks, everyone!)
1. The Ringmaster Blues

**(Time: ? Place: ? POV: ?)**

"And...It begins." Stated a figure from a black room. They placed their fingers together, marveling at the despair that was to be.

"E-Excuse me...?" A voice called out. The figure turned around, and who else was it but their lovely assistant.

The mastermind smiled. "Ah..! It's you. How has-"

The assistant closed their eyes. "Don't ask. Preparations are complete. The memory erasure program was a success. I suspect that they'll be waking up soon."

The mastermind let out a hearty laugh. "Excellent! You've done a mighty fine job, my dear."

"Don't call me that..." The assistant sighed. "You're f-fucking despicable..."

"Oh?" The mastermind tilted their head to the side. "But who was it that transported them here? Who is it that erased their memories? Who is it that set up this wonderful new program?"

The assistant gulped. "Well...me, but-" They paused for a second, making sure not to slip up and say something they'd regret. Their boss was a force to reckon. One witty insult and they'd be murdered on spot.

Perhaps it'd be a painless death.

"Exactly." The mastermind got up from their seat and walked over to a line graph that decorated a poster on the wall. Oddly enough, their was no data on the wall. No numbers, names, or other variables. It was just a simple line graph that appeared to be increasing. "Do you see this? I trust that you know what this is?

"A blank graph. You've already talked to me about this. Add in data and it'll always be accurate, blah, blah, blah." The assistant rolled their eyes. "Now...What of...them? You told me if you helped that they'd be set free..."

"Oh? Yeah." The mastermind allowed their voice to roll off in the distance. This struck fear in the assistant's heart.

They waved a dismissive hand. "I always keep my promises. You've helped me tremendously. Setting up a game such as this is hard work. You've taken lives, and you're about to take more. I'll set them free as your reward."

The assistant bowed. "T-Thank you..." It really wasn't worth much, in all honesty. The assistant was just relieved to hear such. That boss of theirs was a mischievous scumbag, literal trash, but they always kept their word. That was something they learned quickly.

With a wave of their hand, the mastermind replied. "Whatever. Now, it's time for us to prepare the final step in our little experiment."

"You mean your little experiment? I don't want credit for any of this..."

A chuckle escaped the lips of the boss. "But credit must be given where credit is due. Besides, I've no time for foolishness. They'll be awake soon."

The assistant gulped, and nervously walked outside of the area.

It was time to face what would possibly be the biggest regret of their life.

* * *

**(Time: 7:05am. Place: Outside of Hope's Peak Private Academy. POV: Misaki Kobayashi)**

Hope's Peak Private Academy...

An old high school dedicated to ensuring the education of Japan's most talented students. Famous for its system of categorizing attendants, commonly referred to as "Super High-School Level" students. They say that if you can manage to graduate from this treasured educational facility, you're set. You're guaranteed to have a happy, successful life.

Truth be told, I kind of doubted that.

These days seemed like almost _anyone _could become a Super High-School Level student.

If you were a teen competing in the Olympics, you'd likely get invited to the academy for some stupid reason. "Super High-School Level Olympic Skiier" or some bullshit like that. Oh, you opened your own restaurant? And it just so happened to get popular among tourists? Congrats, you're the "Super High-School Level Iron Chef." Wow! You played music on stage in front of an audience of mindless, teenage girls! Yup, you're coming to Hope's Peak as the "Super High-School Level Teenage Idol!"

Hell, you could churn fucking butter and get into the school this school. Five to ten years ago, yeah, getting invited to Hope's Peak Academy was a pretty big deal! It served to prove that you were truly the best of the best. Maybe if I had been a teenager back then, I'd be a little more excited for this experience. Nope! I'm not excited in the slightest.

Hope's Peak Academy still goes under the guise of "The most elite private school in the world." but these days, that's nothing more than a fallacy. The arrangements that the pretentious academy made when it started branching out changed the sanctity of it completely. Branching out to other countries, trying to find rare talents all over the world, seemed like a great idea. I completely supported the decision when I had first heard of their plans to do so.

Thinking about it, I also happened to be around 11 at the time. So what would I know?

Anyway, once Hope's Peak started opening branches in other countries, things started to become, in scientific terms, "fucked up." A large controversy arose at various new Hope's Peak locations. Protests broke out, crowds in an uproar about Hope's Peak's rule of "One person per talent."

If you ask me, it was something completely ridiculous to get upset over.

Most of the people complaining were people who had said talent, and were a little good at it. They were, in no way deserving of attending such a sacred academy. Had I been the owner of the chains, I woulda told them;

"No, you're not the best. You may be good at what you do, but you're not the best. Get the fuck over yourself." and have been done with it. But no. The chairmen of the academy decision council decided they just had to cater to the public's needs.

First, they changed the rule from "One person per talent," to "One person per talent per country." Which essentially meant that there could be a Super High-School Level Artist attending the Japanese branch, and also another Super High-School Level Artist attending the Brazilian branch.

If you want my opinion on that, I think they should have known good and well that that wasn't going to appease anybody.

How idiotic.

And yes, my above statement was completely correct. It just pissed everyone off even more. They couldn't just leave the rules as is, no. They had to have more. These moronic, egotistical dirtbags just wanted more and more from the academy.

I could seriously ramble all day about how Hope's Peak bent over backwards as an attempt to please everyone. Everyone had their demands catered to. Soon enough, Hope's Peak Academy became more available to the public.

What was once the most elite private school in the country became semi-public, practically.

It used to be you weren't allowed to apply. The school had to snuff you out, select you from several others within the same field. If you wanted to attend Hope's Peak Private Academy, you had to stand out from the others. You had to take whatever talent you had, and make it your bitch. You had to work to show that you stood above the rest. Only then would you be noticed by the academy.

As you would expect, that changed. "Ohhhhhhh, why do you guys have to pick me out? Why can't I choose to come myself?" those bastard babies would cry. "I have a talent, I'm kind of good at it, I deserve to be at Hope's Peak just as any other person in the field."

It was the same deal over and over. I could rant all day on the idiotic changes that Hope's Peak Private academy made. To condense it, two of the biggest rules changed;

1. You can't apply to Hope's Peak Private Academy; they have to choose you.

2. There can only be one Super High-School Level Students in that field of expertise.

That's not the case anymore. Within the recent years, Hope's Peak now allows you to send in applications, as well as join even if somebody has the exact same talent. I've heard of so many Super High-School Level Chefs attending the school, it isn't funny.

...

...

...

So, I suppose I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? My name is Misaki Kobayashi. If that doesn't tell you how boring I am, I really don't know what would. For those of you who don't know, my first name and last name are two of the most common in Japan. Not to degrade myself, but I don't feel like there's a unique bone in my body.

I'm the current ringmaster of my family's circus, "**The Kobayashi Circus of The Stars!**" That's all fine and dandy, y'know. Seeing impressive feats up close, nearly impossible acrobatic feats, it's okay. Gives me something to do on the weekends, anyways. The pay is decent. It robs me of an allowance but...What can you do?

**MISAKI KOBAYASHI; SUPER HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL RINGMASTER**

_(AppearanceDex:_

_Hair: Messy, blonde. Tied back into a long ponytail that goes down a little bit past her shoulders._

_Eyes: Dull green._

_Skin: Pale, no birthmarks or freckles._

_Clothing: Red Short sleeved button down shirt over a long sleeved white tee-shirt with cuffed sleeves. Fingerless black gloves on both hands. Purple skinny jeans. Black running shoes.)_

I questioned why I even chose to attend this school. The only thing that really impressed me was it's size. I knew that Hope's Peak was supposed to be huge. I knew that it was a large school, that it was one of the biggest in the region. But what I was looking at...was ridiculous. It had to be at least five stories high.

I stared down, examining every single brick. Every despicable inch of architecture. It may be the same Hope's Peak Academy. The very same academy that proudly opened 70 plus years ago, but it was a shell of its former self. It was the exact same building, in the exact same area. But this wasn't the elite academy that I used to adore.

Did I ever mention that I used to be a huge fan of Hope's Peak Academy? That might be a little interesting. A few years back, I idolized this school. Every single day I dreamed of what it would be like to enroll in it. To be a Super High-School Level Something. I wanted to be somebody. I admired everyone who attended the school. Day in and day out I would research every student that attended, what their skills were, and why they were there.

Maybe I was a little too obsessed back in the day. I was a peculiar, annoying child. Children have a tendency to do that.

I think you can tell that now I'm not all that excited to attend. If anything, I dread it. Something about just being another casual student chosen for being slightly good at ring leading repulses me.

So, why did I choose to accept the offer?

There's really no big, huge idea behind it. I didn't have a sudden epiphany, realizing that the school was still full of glory. My parents didn't force me to attend against my will. I just thought it'd be a nice change of pace. That's all there is to it.

I'm pretty much completely bored of my every day life. I half-ass my way through school, so I can learn how to half-ass my way through life. I don't have the best grades. I'm a C+ student. But can you blame me? When the hell am I ever going to use Pythagorean Theorem? Why do I need to know how to fill out a punnet square? Most students don't plan on working in construction, and I don't really want kids. If it doesn't retain to me and my future, I don't give a shit.

My future? Well, I plan to take over the family circus whenever my parents retire. That would mean I'd get to work a little more behind the scenes, stuff like that. I think it'd be a fun past time. At least it'd give me something to do with my life.

"How pathetic..." I bluntly stated, taking the time to assess my hatred of my new school. Turning straight ahead, I saw those familiar giant glass doors.

There they were. Those doors would be the opening to a bright future, apparently. Inhaling and exhaling all the doubt I had inside me, I went to push the doors open.

**Only to be enveloped in a world of black.**

* * *

Now, in my defense, SYOCs are a lot of fun to write. The fandom has enough of these, I'm well aware. But this is something I've been planning for quite a while. I need to work on my writing skills a bit more, and I thought that if I were to do that, why not write something that's fun?

I could go on all day about why I want to do an SYOC, but nobody wants to hear about that! Let's get down to business! I need characters! I need 14 to be exact! I'm hoping for an even male and female ratio. Three OCs are mine! Misaki Kobayashi is one of them. The other two? Well, one will be a hidden 17th student that comes into play later in the story. The last OC will be the assistant mentioned at the beginning of the fic!

That being said, in order to prevent that from being spoiled, I'll have to do an "I don't own most of these OCs" instead of listing off who owns each character individually. However, if you want to list that character as yours in your profile description, you may.

While the assistant is going to be one of my OCs, the mastermind will be one of your Ocs! I'm only making my character the assistant for plot purposes.

**One quick note: Misaki is not going to be the protagonist of the story. The story is going to be written in first person, with the character narrating being switched each case. The character taking the POV will be determined by you guys.**

**To help you understand, this means that once a new chapter begins, that character will be the narrator for the murder, investigation, and trial.**

**Executions will be written in third person.**

**Depending on what I feel like, trials may or may not be written in script form. What would you guys prefer? **

The only main rule is that I don't want any Mary-sues. Yes, you're allowed to have a character with strengths. But just as every person has flaws, you must give your character flaws.

Another rule I'd like to put in effect is that I'd like characters to be made for this specific story. It makes it more unique. However, if you have a character that you've submitted to ONE other fic, I'll allow them as well.

This isn't going to be first come first serve. I'll be choosing the characters based on who I think will make the story interesting. I'll be working hard on this story, so I hope you'll be working hard on the apps.

Also, apps submitted through reviews will be rejected automatically, no matter how good the characters are.

Lastly, don't ask to reserve a spot. I won't reserve spots. Sorry if that's a little rude, I just don't want the story to be delayed because somebody reserved a spot and then didn't submit.

Without further ado, here is the application template! I'm also putting it on my profile for those who can't copy and paste.

**BASIC INFORMATION**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Talent: (I'll be using the Super High School Level _ Format. Not Ultimate. It just sounds strange to me.)**

**How did they discover this talent?:**

**Were they chosen by Hope's Peak? Or did they apply?:**

**If they were chosen, what made them stand out?:**

**If they applied, why did they apply?:**

**Birthday:**

**Personality (Detailed):**

**Sexual Orientation:**

**Did they bring any items with them? If so, what did they bring?: (Limit of three items)**

**APPEARANCE INFO**

**Skin Tone:**

**Hairstyle and Hair Color:**

**Eye Color:**

**Clothing:**

**OTHER INFO**

**Background:**

**Secrets:**

**Strengths:**

**Weaknesses:**

**Are you willing for this character to be the Mastermind?: (Simple yes or no. If you say no, I won't choose your character as the mastermind. If you say yes, that means I'll include your character in the random drawing.)**

**Are you willing for this character to be protagonist for a chapter?:**

**Most Likely to Be?: (This is NOT guaranteed.)**

**Anything else?:**

That's about it! I look forward to seeing some nice characters, and I hope you guys enjoy the story!


	2. Offical Cast! Aka This Story Isn't Dead

**Ah, it's been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than I had anticipated! You can blame my ISP and AP teachers for my lateness. As of recent my internet service has been cutting in and out frequently, preventing me from doing anything semi-productive on the internet. My second excuse is the fact that both of my AP teachers have been kicking up the workload to prep us for the upcoming exams. It's...stressful, to say the least.**

**I understand that I'm putting this chapter at risk by not putting up any content, and in hindsight, I probably should have just edited the first chapter. I'm just gonna...leave this here and delete it once I get around to finally typing up the introductions. **

**It's well over time, but I've decided on the cast! Now, remember something here;**

**THIS STORY HAD A GRAND TOTAL OF 37 SUBMISSIONS!**

**In the wise words of Hajime Hinata, "Whoa!" **

**That is a LOT of submissions. Way more than I expected. That being said, I only had room for a cast of 17! I actually had to expand the cast number because of the fact that there was one character I couldn't ignore.**

**Don't feel discouraged if your character isn't in the story. It doesn't mean your character was bad at all! In fact, every character was amazing! It was hard picking out which ones to include, because there were so many great ones! It doesn't mean I'm "rejecting" your character, nor does it mean you don't have a good character. There are TONS of Dangan Ronpa SYOCs out there, several of which could end up being better than mine! Submit your character to those, you never know who will and won't have a good plot.**

**To those of you who made it in: Congrats! I hope my portrayal of your character meets your expectations, and I hope you all like my writing. I'm a relatively new writer, so definitely don't expect any intelligent, amazing word articulation XD But do feel free to point out my strengths and flaws when it comes to writing; I'd love to improve! Just try not to resort to personal attacks on me...I'm sensitive XD**

**Here they are, the...lucky? Unlucky? Somewhat inbetween? Cast members for "Despair Has Never Been so Amusing!"**

**FEMALES;**

**Misaki Kobayashi - SHSL Ringmaster**  
**Makeru Sakiyuki - SHSL Assassin**  
**Izumi Akamine - SHSL Mathematician**  
**Carissa Osaki - SHSL News Anchor **  
**Rosalin Odoru - SHSL Violinist **  
**Mayu Saito - SHSL Pianist **  
**Ayato Suzuki - SHSL Prankster**  
**Annie Himura - SHSL Girl Scout**  
**Maja Inoue - SHSL Ventriloquist**

**MALES;**

**Hisakawa Yasu - SHSL Bartender **  
**Allen Zochiro - SHSL Marksman**  
**Aero Nabilla - SHSL Rock Star**  
**Henri LaFont - SHSL Leader**  
**(Sir) Johannes Harrian - SHSL Knight**  
**Esquire "Poncho" Pontifus - SHSL Statistician **  
**Sebastián Raven - SHSL Thief **  
**Tarou Mizushima - SHSL Fisherman**

**Once again, this is just to let everyone know that I haven't given up on the story! I'm just having some school and Internet issues. It may be a while before the introduction chapter, but once that's done with, and the AP tests come and go, I'll try to update frequently. **

**So, stay tuned! Once again, I'll be deleting this chapter once the character introductions go up. So...Try not to get pissed at me because of that XD**


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